LOS ANGELES — Deluxe Entertainment Services Group Inc. (bydeluxe.com) has named Steve Garrad head of its Vancouver studio, overseeing day-to-day operations for its global visual effects company Method Studios and TV post/VFX brand Encore. The long-time production executive takes the helm as both brands build their talent and capacity in Vancouver to meet demand for feature film and episodic services.
Garrad brings two decades of experience and production know-how to the studio, joining most recently from a role as VFX producer for Warner Bros. on the upcoming feature The Meg. Previously, he was executive VFX producer at Double Negative, where he was the company’s first employee in Vancouver and was instrumental in building and crewing the facility from the ground up over two years. Prior to that, he was VFX executive producer at Image Engine, where he spent five years executive producing features such as R.I.P.D., Fast & Furious 6 and Zero Dark Thirty. He built his early career in London, where he was a senior VFX producer at Double Negative UK for many years and head of production at Clear UK (now Prime Focus). Garrad got his start in the industry at Cinesite as a runner. He is a member of the Visual Effects Society’s Board of Directors in Vancouver.
“Steve has been in the VFX business a long time and is deeply connected all around,” says Ed Ulbrich, president of Deluxe. “VFX studios and filmmakers love him. He’s built and run a VFX studio from scratch. He’s well respected and well liked in the Vancouver creative community and across the industry. There are very few people who have his breadth of experience and we’re thrilled to have him lead our Vancouver studio.”
“The Method/Encore studio in Vancouver was one of the first in town and it’s always been a focal point,” adds Garrad. “There’s strong VFX and post talent there. Ed has a great vision for the global Method organization, and part of it is working to help each studio maintain its own culture, which makes the overall company culture richer, deepens the knowledge base and allows it to move faster. I’m really looking forward to being part of this team.”
Method’s Vancouver studio (methodstudios.com) created key VFX sequences for the features Avengers: Infinity War, Black Panther and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. The Encore (encorepost.com) team in Vancouver is currently providing post production and/or VFX services for shows that including Netflix’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, Altered Carbon, the CW’s Supergirl and Legends of Tomorrow.